To: Mrs. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General

Copies: Mrs. Mechtild Rössler, Director of Heritage Division & Director of the World Heritage Centre

Mrs. Inger Andersen IUCN’s Director General

Mr. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director

Dear ladies and gentlemen, Our organizations attract your attention to the serious threat for the Outstanding Universal Value of “” World Heritage property as a result of possible construction of mountain ski complexes on the lands of National Park and Sochi Zakaznik (Sanctuary) that adjoin its boundaries. Currently the mentioned territories are located inside the boundaries of Sochi Zakaznik as well as of the reserve and specially protected zones of where construction of any object or infrastructure is prohibited. With the direct UNESCO and UNEP participation, as one of the compensatory measures during preparation for the Olympic Games in the City of Sochi, Russian Federation has committed to expand the area of “Western Caucasus” World Natural Heritage property due to the inclusion of specially protected and reserve zones of Sochi National Park as well as Sochi Zakaznik to it. Besides, in accordance with the recommendations of UNEP expert mission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation has worked out and adopted the Plan of measures regarding questions of Mzymta River ecosystem restoration. In accordance with the Plan the part of Sochi Zakaznik in the upper courses of Mzymta River had to be included into the composition of the Caucasus State Nature Reserve. Pursuant to the commitments Russian Federation submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in 2014 the nomination for widening boundaries of the “Western Caucasus” World Heritage property. Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation prepared the draft resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation “On widening of the Caucasus State Nature Biosphere Reserve territory”. But this draft Government resolution was rejected. Unfortunately during just-concluded IUCN mission that evaluated the submitted nomination for widening of the World Heritage property, the representatives of the Russian Government announced about the recall of the nomination. This fact not only causes serious concern of public organizations and the scientific community but also contradict to the international commitments made during the preparation for the Winter Olympic Games. Moreover in 2015 in contradiction to the previous commitments and prepared documents Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of presented for public discussion the drafts of new Regulations of Sochi National Park and Sochi Republic-wide State Nature Zakaznik that legalize the construction on their territories. Thus according to the draft regulations of Sochi National Park the considerable part of territories of Krasnaya Poliana and Aibga forestry in the southeastern part of the park, it is proposed to transfer reserve and specially protected zones into the recreational one, where construction of recreational and tourist objects is admitted. The same kind of construction is proposed to be allowed inside the Sochi Zakaznik. We attract your attention that plans of Olympic objects construction on these territories were already accepted as threatening to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property in 2008 (WHC/IUCN mission, UNEP mission) with the result that the Russian Government made a decision about moving objects to another place. At present the plans for development of the area adjoining the nature reserve are even more dimensioned. Proposed changes to the Regulations about Sochi National Park and Sochi Zakaznik were criticized by scientists and NGOs. Leading specialists in Western Caucasus prepared reference note about value of the Mzymta River upper courses. On a base of this reference note the Public Council of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation unanimously acknowledged the proposed changes in the regulations about National Park and Zakaznik as inadmissible. Development of the above-mentioned protected areas had started already in May 2015 as a result of illegal construction of the highway from “Roza Khutor” resort in the direction of Engelmanov meadows including the specially protected zone of the National Park. Plans of mountain ski resorts construction are lobbied by “Roza Khutor”, “Gazprom” and “Krasnaya Poliana” Companies. This, in particular, Sergey Bachin, the “”Roza Khutor” Director, said at the annual autumn session of the International Ski Federation (FIS) in Zurich on October 2, 2015. The same was confirmed by Vladimir Potanin, the “Interros” Company Director and the real owner of “Roza Khutor” on October 23, 2015 during his speech on “Russia 24” Federal channel. Destruction of natural complexes as a result of development of Sochi Zakaznik and adjoining parts of Sochi National Park will lead to the destruction of the Outstanding Universal Value and integrity of “Western Caucasus” World Natural Heritage property. Besides the development of Mzymta River upper courses will render meaningless the project of Caucasian leopard restoration, because these lands are the only corridor for leopards’ settlement in other Caucasian regions. In the opinion of our organizations decrease of the status of the above-mentioned areas of Sochi National Park and Sochi Zakaznik in the Mzymta River upper courses by itself even before the actual construction has to be counted as a base for inscription of the “Western Caucasus” property in the “World Heritage in Danger List”. In connection with the stated we ask UNESCO to take into account this appeal during preparation of the decision of the next Committee session regarding “Western Caucasus” World Heritage property, and to ask in particular the State Party of the Russian Federation to invite the WHC/IUCN reactive monitoring mission for assessment of the influence of the resorts development plans in the Mzymta River upper courses upon the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. We also hope that UNEP in partnership with the International Olympic Committee will necessarily influence upon the Russian Federation for the complete fulfillment of the Plan of activities for restoration of Mzymta River basin and recommendations of the expert mission including the widening of the area of the existing “Western Caucasus” World Natural Heritage property. Sergey Tsyplenkov, Executive Director, Greenpeace Russia

Igor Chestin WWF-Russia Director

Andrey Rudomakha, Coordinator of the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus

Vitaly Kovalev, NABU Deputy Head of international Department, Head of the Caucasus program

29.10.2015